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December 14, 2005 The Honorable John Ensign
The Honorable Joseph Lieberman
Dear Senators Ensign and Lieberman: As TechNet members and chief executives of the nation's leading technology companies, we are writing to express our strong support for the National Innovation Act (NIA) of 2005. We commend your leadership in developing the NIA and look forward to working with you to support enactment of this important legislation. Our nation has reached a critical juncture unprecedented in our history. While our nation continues to be the world's leader in many technological and scientific discoveries and breakthroughs, other nations are working to create their own innovation infrastructure. These efforts range from tax incentives to attract new research and development to increased investments in math and science education. In short, with so many countries recognizing R&D's economic development potential, the U.S. can no longer take its current leading position for granted, nor accept the status quo as sufficient to stay competitive. Not surprisingly, these were the same observations and conclusions reached by those leaders in business and academia who came together to produce Innovate America, the National Innovation Initiative Report, which was released this year by the Council on Competitiveness. This report produced a series of recommendations that collectively represent landmarks on a roadmap leading toward a nation better equipped and educated to both innovate and compete in a global economy. We are pleased to see a substantial number of these recommendations embodied in the NIA. Your legislation clearly recognizes that changes are needed in a wide range of areas: reforms in tax policy; federal investments in elementary and secondary education; scholarship and grant availability for university graduate and undergraduate students; federal research priorities; intellectual property protection; and critical areas in our innovation infrastructure, including health care and our armed forces. The depth and diversity of the issues covered in the NIA demonstrate the complexity and the enormity of the fundamental challenge that confronts us: the economic security and competitiveness of our nation. We stand ready to work with you to move this important legislation forward and thank you for your shared commitment to the nation's future innovative capacity and capability. Sincerely,
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